OCU cleric tried for murder in Poltava region

The Kobelyatsky District Court of Poltava Region has found Dmytro Kulichkovsky, a cleric of the local branch of the OCU, a native of Lviv Region, guilty of murder. It is reported that Kulichkovsky, who had been previously convicted, entered into a conflict with the head of the People’s Control of Poltava region NGO over a humanitarian aid vehicle intended for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. On the grounds of mutual hostility, the OCU cleric, rector of two churches and dean of one of the districts of the Poltava diocese of the OCU, shot his rival. This was reported by the regional edition “LvNews”.

It is reported that the murder took place on October 11, 2022. At that time, the accused was the rector of the churches of St. George the Victorious in Kobeliaky and the Nativity of John the Baptist in the village of Markivka of the Bilytsia community. He was also a part-time dean of one of the districts of the Poltava region of the OCU diocese.

On the day of the murder, the men had a quarrel in the yard of the OCU representative because of a car with humanitarian aid for the Armed Forces. Dmytro Kulichkovsky gave the keys to the car and went into the house, where he took a 16-caliber TOZ-63 rifle and loaded it with two hunting cartridges. When he returned to the yard, Dmytro Kulichkovsky fired one shot in the air and ordered the victim to kneel until the police arrived. When the man refused, he shot him in the left thigh and right knee.

Subsequently, Kulichkovsky asked the witness to call an ambulance, and he returned to the house and took a bottle of water, a homemade tourniquet, a bandage, cotton wool, and hydrogen peroxide. However, he did not provide first aid, as the wounded man no longer showed signs of life. According to experts, he died of acute blood loss.

Kulichkovsky partially admitted his guilt. He denied that he had intended to kill the man, and instead only wanted to take food intended for the Armed Forces from the car with the police, and then hand over the car. However, during the argument, the victim hit him, so in an emotional and stressful state, he ran into the house and grabbed a gun.

The court found Dmytro Kulichkovsky guilty and sentenced him to 7 years in prison. He was credited with being in custody from October 11, 2022 to May 12, 2023 and round-the-clock house arrest from May 12, 2023 to September 7, 2023.